Wednesday

Brett Moffitt Attends His First NASCAR Awards Banquet – Celebrates with Fellow Rookie Ryan Truex

Grimes, Iowa (November 25, 2009) – During Champions Week in Concord, NC, Brett Moffitt celebrated a spectacular first year of NASCAR racing, which began while Moffitt was just sixteen years old. The 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East season-ending banquet was held last week in the Embassy Suites Hotel Concord Convention Center, near the NASCAR Research & Development Center, the future NASCAR Hall of Fame complex, and also in close proximity to Charlotte, NC, the home base of many of the NASCAR race teams.

During Saturday night’s NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards Gala, Moffitt, a rookie and a serious contender for the 2009 NCWSE championship, graced the awards stage twice. After being presented with the trophy and points fund check for finishing third in the overall season points standings, Moffitt was called back to the stage to receive the prestigious Most Improved Driver of the 2009 Season award.

Moffitt and his Andy Santerre Motorsports team ended the season on a high note, finishing in second place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and winning the final 2009 event on the Monster Mile at Dover in a dominating fashion. Dover was also Santerre’s last event as a team owner. With this win, Moffitt and team scored their second victory of the season. Moffitt and the ASM Team gave notice of their strength during the first race of the 2009 season at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, when the rookie won the pole in his series debut. Moffitt went on to score six top fives and nine top tens, finishing the season a mere sixty points behind series veteran, Eddie McDonald, and only ninety-four points behind fellow rookie competitor and Michael Waltrip development driver, Ryan Truex. Only two other rookie drivers cracked the top ten in 2009; Alan Tardiff finished seventh, while Alex Kennedy took the tenth spot.

Moffitt also managed to embed his name in the NASCAR history book, first becoming the youngest driver in NASCAR history to win a pole at the season opener, then becoming the youngest driver in NASCAR history to win a race during the fourth event of 2009 at South Boston Speedway, and finally, becoming the youngest driver in history to lead the points in a NASCAR series, which he accomplished with a third place finish during NCWSE event number five at Watkins Glen International. These three records had previously been held by another up and coming young NASCAR driver, Joey Logano. When asked if he had it in for Logano, the rookie Moffitt replied, “Not really. I am just trying to make a mark for myself, hoping to attract some attention and gain some support, so I can continue to climb the ladder in the world of professional stock car racing.”

Earlier in the championship week, Moffitt and his father, Dick, took advantage of their stay in the hub of NASCAR racing by visiting several ARCA teams and two prominent NASCAR Sprint, Nationwide, and Camping World series team owners, in preparation for the 2010 racing season. Moffitt’s 2009 mentor, Andy Santerre, himself a multiple series champion and one of the most highly-regarded NCWSE owners, has since sold his team and is moving on to other opportunities. Santerre commented, “What I want people to remember about Brett and his 2009 season is that he started the season as a sixteen year old rookie, competing in only his second year in stock cars on asphalt.

He raced against NASCAR veterans, as well as several rookies who all had a lot more seat time in the NASCAR type of cars than he did. On top of that, our team was one of the most underfunded teams in the NCWSE. Brett is one of the most talented drivers competing in the NCWSE today. He raced and made decisions on the race track at a maturity level well beyond his age and experience. Race after race, he used a calm demeanor to face whatever situation he was put into. He completed races and brought an unscathed car back to the garage on all four wheels, with all four fenders on it. He was a quick study, he is humble, and he was one of the most pleasurable drivers I have ever had the opportunity to work with. I sincerely hope someone will pick him up and keep him racing. He definitely has the talent to compete in NASCAR’s big league someday.”

When asked about his son’s plans for 2010, Brett’s father, Dick, commented, “We hope our first race will be the Toyota All-Star Event on January 29thand 30th at Irwindale Speedway. Brett is qualified, and we are talking to some teams. All we need is for the right deal to fall into place.” Regarding the balance of the 2010 season, talks with potential teams are ongoing. With the right package in place, Moffitt would like to compete for the championship in the NASCAR Camping World Series East, and when scheduling permits, he would also like to compete in as many races as he can with the ARCA RE/MAX Series. This could include as many as twelve or thirteen events, based on the tracks on which he can compete while he is still seventeen, plus the remaining events that are scheduled after his eighteenth birthday. Of course, Moffitt’s 2010 schedule is contingent on the right sponsorship/partnership package. Based on his accomplishments, and with the ability Moffitt has demonstrated, the right deal is certainly just around the corner.

In his short racing career, Moffitt won the coveted WKA Triple Crown at the age of thirteen and a Golden Driller at the Tulsa Shoot-Out in only his third year racing in karts. In 2007, at the age of fourteen, he drove his first race car, competing in an IMCA SportMod. Moffitt raced in seventy-six events and captured twenty-six feature wins, including the 2007 Harris Clash Championship, where he became the youngest driver in the history of Knoxville Raceway (Iowa) to win a feature event. Moffitt was also the All-Iowa SportMod State Champion in 2007. At fifteen, Moffitt competed for the first time on asphalt as a regular in the ASA Late Model Series North, where he finished second in the series point standings and was crowned its 2008 Rookie of the Year. Also in 2008, Moffitt set several track records while competing with ASALMS and became the youngest driver in its history to qualify for the prestigious Slinger Nationals, a record previously held by a then seventeen year old Matt Kenseth.

In his first race in a Super Late Model during the 2008 season-ending 39th Annual Oktoberfest, Moffitt set two quick times, and event officials awarded Brett Moffitt the Al Schilling “Young Gun Award” for his accomplishments during the 2008 Oktoberfest Race Weekend. At sixteen, and in the fourth different kind of race car in as many years, Moffitt’s accomplishments speak for themselves. While competing in the NCWSE, in only his second year behind the wheel of a stock car on asphalt, his final race of the 2009 season was his first-ever ARCA RE/MAX Series race at the Rockingham Speedway, and the result was a very respectable tenth place run. Brett Moffitt continues to showcase his drive, desire, talent, and ability to become a professional stock car driver. Certainly, the deal and the help Moffitt is looking for is just around the corner.

Stay tuned! Without a doubt, there is more to come in 2010!

- Brett Moffitt Racing Press Release